Christopher Hopper

Philip and me!

Originally uploaded by christopher.hopper_pix

This is my dear brother Philip Meldrum! And this is our castle. Well,
not really ours–but we wish it was ours!

C.

Our news friends!

Originally uploaded by christopher.hopper_pix

Jennifer and I have arrived safely in Scotland and we’ve already made
loads of new friends! These are some awesome kids right in front of
where we’re staying!

C.

Scotland here we come!

Originally uploaded by christopher.hopper_pix

After a great meal at O’Hare’s Macaroni Grill (Mmmm!), we’re just
minutes away from boarding and, with our full tummies, sleeping all
the way to London for our last connection. Catch you on the other side!

C&J

Heading to Chicago

Originally uploaded by christopher.hopper_pix

Jennifer and I are waiting in Syracuse to catch our flight to Chicago–
the first leg of our trip to Edinburgh.

Does it bother anyone else that you have to go west before you can go
east?

C.

…and I’m trying not to whip out a claymore and starting screaming “Freedom!” as soon as I land. Please keep Jennifer and I in your prayers during this next week of ministry. We’re very expectant about what the Lord is going to do for His glory! We’ll be with a wonderful church in Dalkeith, Scotland for a week of meetings followed by five days at an undisclosed location for our first vacation in five years. We’re stoked.

Thanks for all your prayers while we’re on the road, especially with us being away from our kids.

Blessings!

CH

This past weekend’s ministry in France was truly marvelous–many souls were saved, the churches encouraged and new and old friends met. I landed in Luxembourg Friday afternoon and drove in to the north of France where I stowed my gear and headed out for an evening meeting in Longwy. Pastor Vincent Ferenandez and I lead worship at L’Eglise Sans Frontiers followed by a powerful message from Rosemarie Claussen and Boris Grisenko.

Rosemarie is Adolph Hitler’s god-daughter; her father was the General of the Nazi Police. When he began to see the atrocities be ing committed against the Jews, he began smuggling them out of the country. Finally caught, he was given the choice of watching his family murdered or taking cyanide. He chose the later–just days before the Russian liberation of Poland. Rosemarie and her family were taken into custody and grew up in very poor conditions in Russia. Eventually she went on to write about her story and now ministers on the dangers of bitterness, the need for forgiveness, reconciliation and support of Israel. All that to say that seeing her and Boris on the same stage was one amazing image I’ll never forget.

Why? Because Boris Grisenko is the Rabbi of the Kiev Messianic Jewish Congregation in Ukraine–one of the largest Messianic congregations in the world!

Saturday morning we hit the road, pounding the streets of Metz with flyers and the Gospel, promoting the weekend’s events and telling people about Jesus. I joined my friends Sverker, Nils and Alain in spreading the news. My favorite conversation was with a street begger, a young man that needed a lot of love and encouragement.

From there we drove to the city’s prison, a large monolith on the east side. I was unable to bring a camera in so all I have is a picture of the outside (pictured right). But how I wish I could show you pictures of what happened! I played and ministered for about 45 minutes to a crowd of men and women, encouraging them and telling them about the life and love of Jesus. People wept as the spirit of the Lord began to move in their hearts. Then a new friend, Tony Anthony, came and shared his testimony. And what a testimony…

Born to a Chinese father and an Italian mother, he was taken to China by his grandfather at age 4, a Grand Master at Kung-Fu, to be raised in the tradition of his ancestors as a Grand Master himself. A brutal childhood ensued, his grandfather teaching him the ways of being a warrior. He returned to England at age 12 where he continued his training and eventually went on to start competitive fighting. It wasn’t long before he earned the prestigious “world champion” title three years in a row, having never lost a single fight in his entire career.

The tragic death of his fiancee sent him over the edge and he turned to a life of violence. He became a professional body guard and then a debt collector, using extreme action against people, breaking limbs, backs and killing them. He was eventually caught in Cypress and put into a Turkish prison where he had to fend for his life. But it was here in prison that a pastor began to reach out to him. Six months later, Tony surrendered his life to Jesus and has been preaching the Gospel as an evangelist for the past 18 years!

Over 25 prisoners gave their lives to Jesus that day! The pastors and volunteers who minister there every week were really blessed by our presence and we encouraged and prayed for them as they continued their work with these new converts.

From there we grabbed a meal together and then headed to Salle St Exupery in Woippy on the outskirts of Metz. Here we had a huge meeting where over 40 people came forward to give their hearts to Jesus!

Sunday morning we returned to the hall for the day, starting with a joint church service. The Spirit of the Lord was so sweet in the room; then I remembered that God commands life and blessing upon us when we work together in unity!

In the afternoon I met with my France-based music team and held a practice for the evening’s outreach concert. The concert started at 5:30pm and I walked out to a packed-out hall. We played many familiar French songs from my CD and then a number of news ones, including new translations of “Amazed” and “Beautiful One.” Many thanks to Elie and Malikah for running sounds and lights, and my band Xav, Greg, Florian and Stefan! (I took a few shots from the stage–the header above–after calling Jennifer on the phone so everyone could shout hello).

I shared a brief Gospel message, including a few of the stories closest to my heart about how God birthed a love for France in my spirit. (LEFT: Manu, Samuel, CH, Vincent). My French brother Manu translated for me as we went into an altar call. Many people, young and old, came forward for first time salvation and rededication; we loved on each of them in a wonderful time of prayer and prophecy. A number of people were delivered and set free! Hallelujah!

The very next morning I was up at he crack of dawn and on a plane headed back home. After numerous delays, airport changes and last minute re-routes, I finally got on the last flight from Boston to Syracuse and made it home just after midnight.

Please keep Jennifer and I in your prayers as we depart on Thursday for a week of meetings in Dalkeith, Scotland. I’m very excited about this trip and have a very expectant heart about what’s to come! We’ll keep you informed as things progress.

Thanks for reading! Blessings to all my peeps in France!

CH

Sitting here with Eva on my lap typing my last post before heading off to France for a weekend of concerts. Back Monday. Would appreciate your prayers! (And hopefully by then I’ll be able to post some pics on the next post!).

CH

After 11 years of following Jon Foreman and the boys of Switchfoot, I finally went to see them live in concert. Last night my good buddy, John Brennan, and I drove down to Roberts Wesleyan College and caught them in the act. And my, what a show. The nifty part was meeting up with Wendy and Danielle, my old co-workers (buddies!) from Joshua Revolution, who now help head up Kingdom Bound. Amongst catching up after a few years of absence, they brought me and John upstairs to meet the band. And what humble guys. (And not nearly as tall a you think they are on stage!).

We got in at 2:00am this morning, just in time for me to grab four hours of shut eye before heading down to Watertown Middle School. By invitation of Principal LaBarr and Assistant Principal Fairchild, both marvelous folk, I performed a new song and then shared for 40 minutes on respecting one another and the affects of bullying. I supposse you know it went well when the principals both give you hugs afterwards.

Needless to say, God is doing amazing things in the schools here in Jefferson County, NY.

Please keep me in your prayers as I prepare to leave for concerts in Metz, France this Thursday; back next Monday.

CH

(My deep apologies. I’m still having trouble with uploading pics for my posts. But you’ll really enjoy the following story’s pics when I can get them up).

Last night many of you joined us at Thousand Islands High School Auditorium for Jefferson County’s first ever Operation:HighLife! And what a night it was! Hundreds of people gathered for this event, featuring the band Out of Hiding (formerly Holyfire), skits put on by the 33 Live Drama Team, free pizza and soda (thanks Big M!) and the preaching of the Gospel.

Out of Hiding shredded the air with their stunning brand of rock, glorifying God with what lead singer Justin Kendrick calls "sermon songs." And their super cool female drummer, Madison, tore it up! (Go Sheila E.!). The dramas performed by our students were one of the highlights for me, and my simple Gospel message centered around my generation’s need for a revolution of the heart.

As the altar began to fill with students at the invitation, I kept hearing one phrase over and over, "The revolution has begun! Revival is here!"

Initial counts show that at least 60 public school teenagers came forward to receive Jesus last night! But now we have a tremendous task before us; these students need to be discipled. While those of us at 33 Live have been busy preparing and training up leaders for these moments, it’s not just a "youth leaders" job–it’s the Church’s job.

Now is the season for taking your county for Christ! The anointing of the Lord is present for this time–this moment in history! Remind yourself and those around you today that you we were born for moments like these! Jesus desperately wants to manifest His presence in every situation: in your job, your home, your car…even a high school auditorium.

Our vision here for Jefferson County is to see Operation:HighLife hit all the high school and middle school campuses in the county every fall and spring semester. We’re receiving requests every week now from principals and administrative staff to either speak for their general assemblies or bring Operation:HighLife to their schools. Just today while sitting beside the playground in McDonalds with our kids, I met the student adviser for the Bible Club of a local high school! Coincidence?

Many thanks to everyone who helped put Operation:HighLife together, from the incredible staff at T.I. High to the altar workers from different churches, to New Life volunteers and the Dibor Students who organized the entire event. Also our sincere thanks to from Principal Joe Gilfus and Sally Switzer for allowing us to come in. You all have given so much. But your sacrifices are far from in vain. Quite the contrary! Look what the Lord has done!

The revolution has begun!

CH